Just a Dream?
by Ronaan
Summary: Anna and Emma are twins. Two months ago they bought a gaming-console known as the Helix, made by Abstergo Entertainment. However, Anna's started having strange visions about the past and the future, and contacts Abstergo due to warnings of the bleeding effect. The same day, a mysterious woman make contact with Emma through the Helix, involving them both in an ancient struggle...
1. Chapter 1

She is running. From what, she's not sure, but the mere thought at halting to find out, or even cast a glance above her shoulder is enough to fill her with terror. Better to run, not knowing what's chasing her through the night. Whatever it is, it's laughing at her, at her fear.

 _Run! s_ he tells herself, and she is. Running forward, even though she isn't actually sure where she's going. For all she knows, she could encounter a dead end at any moment now. A dead end. Death could be waiting for her everywhere. The buildings seem to blur into one another, and she push herself harder, further into the night. She have to keep running. That is all that matters now. Her shallow breaths are not sufficient to keep her already failing muscles running forever. Some of them have already started giving up, numbing and making it hard to keep her balance.

And there it is. The dead end.

She skidder to a halt, pressing her palms against the cold and rough concrete, drawing sobbing, exhausted breaths. A dead end for her. Trembling, she slowly move her gaze towards the chaser, whom she still can hear laughing mockingly at her. All she can se are the black and shadowy robes, draping him in impenetrable shadows.

"Who are you!" she calls out, and press her back against the concrete. "What do you want from me?"

"What I want?" the shadow asks, still laughing. "And who am I? You really don't know that? After all, this is all your doing, and you should be aware of your own actions, young lady."

"I've never ever met you before!" she shrieks.

"Oh, but you have, Anna. You have met me, I have met you. And not once, or twice. We meet each other every day."

"Then show your face!" she sobs, but as soon as the words pass her lips she knows with a certainty that she won't live to tell about it. But it is too late to go back now, as the robed figure draw back its hood and reveal the face beneath.

It is not a very frightening face, really. The robed figure was in fact right about her knowing it. All too well, in fact. Its face is that of a young woman in her late teens or early twenties. Her dark-blonde hair frames her face and somehow light up the rest of the face. But Anna can't feel relieved by knowing that face. Not with that malicious smile and... crazy hunger in the eyes.

"Emma?" she tries, unable to keep her voice steady.

"No, Anna." she answers, still smiling. "I'm not Emma."

"Then who are you!" she cries. " _What_ are you?"

"I am you." the figure answer, smile fading away. "In two years time, this is what you will have become. A creature working in the dark. Someone who don't hesitate to kill if need be. Someone people might fear. A nightmare to your enemies, and a protective veil for your allies."

"You're lying!" Anna says, still trembling.

"Why would I lie to myself?" Other Anna ask.

"You're not real!"

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm too stubborn for my own good." Other Anna sighs. "Fine. When the time comes, you'll embrace it. Trust me."

With those words she steps forward and flicks her wrist. Anna can see a glimpse of steel before she feel it penetrate her abdomen.

With a gasp she sit up straight in her bed, staring wildly into the night. She's sweating and shaking madly, and still feel the sharp pain in her abdomen where she was stabbed. By herself.

"Just a dream..." she whispers, trying to calm herself. "Just another stupid dream..."

She's had these dreams for weeks now. Never ever the same one. All of them with her death in the end. The shadowy figure wasn't new, but this was the first time it revealed its face to her. _Her_ face. The dreams start out normal, uninteresting. Then, she always feel an unexplainable terror and need to run, or at times fight. Or kill.

She hates them. The dreams are starting to freak her out now, and that's not just because she was stabbed by herself a minute ago. What really freaks her out is that she still can feel traces of pain, and still feel her muscles aching from the failed attempt to escape.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma heard her last night, and she is not amused at all. Whatever Anna dreams about can't be bad enough to wake her up as well. Seriously, they've turned seventeen now, and most seventeen-year-olds doesn't wake up gasping for breath, sobbing like a kindergartener. Her sister seriously need help, but Emma knows better than to try to convince her to search for help. But she'd be locked up at a asylum if she told anyone else but Emma about the dreams. On their way to school Emma decides they have to talk abut it.

"Anna, you were dreaming again this night, wasn't you?"

"Yeah." Anna answers absently, staring at the skies as a few birds fly above them.

"Well, tell me about it then." she urges, trying to catch her sisters eye. "Seriously, you woke me up, and I sleep in the other end of the house."

"It was weird." Anna says after a minute of silence. "I was running from something, and ended up in a dead end. The thing chasing me... well... it was myself. Who I'll be in two years time. A murderer, I think."

"Okay..." Seriously? Anna dreamed about herself becoming a murderer? As if. Anna is not a murderer, and Emma can't even imagine her sister in that way. No way. "You can't tell me you believe that."

"Now it seems stupid, but..." Anna agrees, and tries a hollow laugh. "Seriously, it felt real then. But it was just a dream. A nightmare."

"Well, please try not to wake me up next time." Emma groans, hiding her true fear. This morning, she went down to read about Helix, their gaming-console. One of the caution-labels she read warned about a rare side-effect called the bleeding-effect. According to the warning, symptoms include insomnia, hallucinations, dreams and altered personality. She also recall reading that anyone whom might have experienced these symptoms should immediately contact Abstergo Entertainment for medical care.

After school that day, Emma talk to Anna about the side effects, and at first Anna reject them as absurd. They argue all the way back home, and when they com home Anna locks herself in her room, leaving Emma outside the door yelling angrily at her to collect her senses. She stays silently outside her room and hear her log onto the Helix and start a simulation. Which one, she's not certain of. She's not really been into the simulations of the Helix herself, and has had problems with nausea after sessions longer than five minutes. Her sister, however, has no trouble at all sitting through sessions lasting several hours. Her seeming addictive behaviour is not reassuring at all, and Emma can't help but worry for her safety.

She leaves the door, and log onto her computer to search for more information about the bleeding effect. Obviously she's immediately redirected to Abstergo Entertainment's website, and is advised to immediately contact them for medical care. She then reads about their prime example of terror. After over-exposure to Animus-technology, an employee lost himself in the memories of his ancestors, and was no longer able to tell the difference between himself and his ancestors. He attempted suicide by clawing himself to pieces.

Emma shudders, and memorise the number to Abstergo Entertainment. If Anna has one more nightmare, she swear she will contact them. After dinner that night she announce this, and glare at Anna as if to dare her to lie about the dreams hereafter. Anna stares into the ground as Emma explains what she read. Appearently the words have some effect on her stubborn sister after all, as she actually ask for details and agree that she should contact Abstergo entertainment if there's another weird dream. Emma can tell she's not happy about it though. And why should she be? She might suffer a serious condition that may or may not turn her insane.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, you've been having strange dreams." the woman asks sympathetically. "I understand. What did you see in your visions?"

"It's never the same dream." Anna explains, unsure whether or not she can trust this woman, Melanie Lemay. She seem nice enough, but there is something strange about the situation. Something about the way people act around her. As if she has high authority. But if she has, why would she waste her time talking to a costumer who's been experiencing side-effects due to Abstergo's gaming-console. Something is off about the situation, and Anna can't help feeling unnerved. "I've seen strange people, talked to myself in the future, and every time I wake up it's because I died. And when I wake up it hurts. My muscles ache, and continue to ache for some time. Then this morning, it was like as if my vision changed."

"Well..." says Melanie and smiles in a way that is probably meant to be reassuring. "Some of it doesn't quite sound like the effects we've seen of the bleeding effect before. But of course..." Her voice trails off, and she seem to consider something. "I need to talk to my team for a sec. Please sit down and wait. I'll be back in a brief."

"Sure..." says Anna, unsure what else she could do instead of waiting for an answer. She sighs and silently curse her sister for trying to freak her out with her unnerving will to find an answer to everything. But of course, she's not that different when she think about it. She want to know what's going on as well. Even more than Emma, probably. After all, it's not Emma who's dealing with the nightmares and visions. This night it was different. The dream wasn't anything remarkable itself. Just her watching someone stalk a pray, and a few paces before the target find herself in the body, performing the kill. Then finding herself on the outside again, following the killer, knowing the man is her ally. Or herself. She wasn't sure. But she couldn't keep up with the man, and as she fell behind, she was killed by a well-placed bullet.

No, that wasn't the most remarkable thing about her dream. It was what happened when she woke up that was interesting. The room wasn't as dark as it should have been, and everything seemed to shimmer on the edges. When Emma came running, her features had shimmered in a light-blue nuance that nearly freaked her out. Emma still have no idea why Anna had to suppress a scream, but it worried her enough to immediately call Abstergo Entertainment, which is the reason Anna sit here on a uncomfortable bench, waiting for Melanie to return from wherever she went.

When Melanie returns, she is not alone. A man that stare at her like she's something the cat just dragged in and left on the mat. Melanie introduce him as Juhani Otso Berg, and he gives an unpleased grunt when Anna introduce herself. If she had any doubts before, they were nothing compared to the ones that stir inside her now.

"So, visions." Mr Berg ask, with a strange edge in his voice that chill her to the bones.

"Yeah." Anna answers, and repeat what she told Melanie earlier. He stares at her while she speak, and she feel something starting to grow in her throat, threatening to choke her. Something about him scare her immensely.

"This morning, in which way was your vision altered?"

"Everything shimmered in a blueish grey, and when Emma... my sister, came in she was blue."

"I see..." Otso answer, still glaring. "I suggest we keep you here for the night and monitor these... visions of yours." He glare at her as if to dare her to refuse.

"Sure..." Anna answer, trying to keep her fear out of her voice. When Otso Berg disappear around a corner she draw a deep breath to calm herself.

"He can be a bit harsh at times." Melanie says in a comforting way, smiling reassuringly at Anna. "His heart is at the right place, though.

"Okay." Anna's not sure whether or not she can trust that, but she doesn't really feel like as if there's much of a choice at the moment.

"I'll show you around." Melanie says happily, and Anna follow her through the corridors. Melanie is a talkative one, and ask her questions of how she find the simulations of the Helix. Anna is truthful, and can't really complain much about it. The only thing she can complain about is that she only have one simulation left until she's gone through them all, and that there's no chance of getting anything new until Abstergo Entertainment is done with the new set of simulations. Melanie smiles widely at this, and proceed to show her the working stations.

Anna can't help it. Something about the whole situation is surreal, and she feel lucky to get the chance to actually see this place and understand the procedures of working with the animuses. She can't help wishing she could work there one day, and that Emma could have this chance as well.


	4. Chapter 4

As day turns to night, Anna is lead to a private room. It smells unnaturally clean, and the white walls remind her of a hospital. Or maybe an asylum, which is where she probably belong if these instrument confirms she's suffering from this bleeding effect. Every time she's asked Melanie about details of what the bleeding effect really is, she's received vague answers or at times even silence. Now, as she once more meet the unflinching stare of Otso Berg, she's too scared of asking for specifics. Melanie is talkative and friendly, but Berg... no, he is intimidating, to say the least.

"This is the equipment we will use to monitor your dreams." Melanie says cheerfully as a employee walk into the room with a wagon of equipment. Anna stare at it doubtfully. They go through all this trouble to determine her mental status? She probably should consider this kind, but she remember her sister's warning on the phone earlier. They only do this so she won't have any reason to sue them later if she suffers any damage due to the effects of the Helix.

As they start to fasten electrodes on her head, and then fasten them with a cap, she wonder how they expect her to sleep with all of this... stuff on her head. When they explain that the arc over the bed is in fact a brain scanner to measure her brain activity, she's totally lost. She won't be able to sleep with all of these monitors and instruments around her. But when she tell them this Otso stare at her with a menacing glare.

Two hours later, she actually manage to drift into a restless sleep, and she follows the same man from last night. This night, she manage to keep up with him as he speeds through the streets. When he manage to loose her, it's because he's scaled a wall. Some instinct tell Anna to try to follow him up on the rooftops, and as she grasp for a steady grip, she realise it's not as hard as she thought it would be.

The man is standing on the roof, unmoving and with his face covered with a white hood. As she slowly close in on him, she realise it's the same man whose memories were accessible in the Helix simulations. The one who wrecked havoc in renaissance Italy. She can't recall his name, but something beginning with an E... Enzo? No, that's not it.

She frown as she close in in him, half expecting him to turn around and attack her. Kill her, even. However, he does none of these things. Instead he keep studying the night-time skyline, and as she follow his gaze she recognise Florence. It's truly beautiful, she have to admit that. The details are even more distinguishable than in the Helix-simulations, but she have to admit that the smell ruins the experience somewhat. The smell of human waste.

Then the world turn greyish, and she can see red figures among grey silhouettes. It looks exactly like what she experienced earlier, only the red colour is different. Something in the back of her mind tell her it's called Eagle Vision, and the name seem to make sense. Then the man start running, and she follow him, calling for him to stop, to explain himself. He pay her no attention whatsoever. Instead, he stalk down his prey and finish him quickly and silently. Then the guards set after him, and he run before Anna can more than react. The guards finish her off quickly, and she can't supress a scream.

The monitors are beeping loudly as the first medics arrive and give her a sedative. Then they relieve her from the monitors. As the world slowly fade to black, Anna is still attempting to fight the guards as they keep on attacking. She know she can win. She have to win, or she'll be dead.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma's climbing on the walls inside her room, waiting for a message from either Anna or the woman from Abstergo to call her and say... well, something. Anything at all will do. It is the waiting, not knowing what is going on that unnerve her. Just waiting, alone. She wish their parents hadn't decided to visit some friends this night. She want to talk to someone, but she's alone and can't talk to her friends about this. It's too early to sleep, but she's not tired anyway. Even if she was, she cant imagine herself sleeping through the night.

Unable to find anything more productive, she walk to Anna's room and cast a glance at the Helix. She probably should be angry about the consequences it has, or might have caused. However, all she can feel is curiosity. That the powerful simulations might cause hallucinations is not something she's surprised about. On the contrary, she would have been surprised if they didn't cause hallucinations or altered vision. The bleeding effect... Why call it that, though? It's not a open wound, after all. A mind can't bleed, can it?

She sit down at the Helix, and hesitate for a few seconds before she turn it on and fasten the headgear. It's not the first time, but she's not too comfortable about it. Recent events hasn't improved much, but they have also made her curious about the content.

As the Helix wake up and present her choices of simulations, she consider them carefully before she chose. She's played some _"Devils of the Caribbean"_ before, and some parts of _"The Lone Eagle"_ and _"Fear and Loathing in Florence"_. However, she's never played _"The tragedy of Jacques De Molay"_ so this is the simulation she pick.

As she follow one of the last Templar Knights, she feel the dizziness she hate about playing on the Helix. This time however, she ignore it and keep playing, determined to follow the simulation through as she's got nothing better to do.

When the first part of the simulation is over, the screen start to flicker, and is replaced by something else.

" _Yeah, let's get a sniffer running. If Abstergo pings us, pull me out... Okay, I have a visual."_ Emma stare in full disbelief, and is about to rip the monitor away when the speaker acknowledge her in personal. " _Hey there... This is probably disorientating, so I'll be brief. I'm Bishop... not my real name obviously... but that's as much as you'll get today. Please listen carefully. Abstergo is using you, hijacking your neurons to help them sift through genetic memory data. These guys already have their fingers in countless corporations, governments, media outlets and NGO's. But now they want controll over history itself. If that doesn't frighten you, it should. But we're here to stop them. And I need your help. Deacon, preload sequence AD16-B13..."_

"Wait!" Emma yell, and stare at the screen in disbelief as the woman, Bishop as she call herself, turn her gaze upon her.

" _Something was unclear?" s_ he asks, tilting her head slightly.

"Hijacked by Abstergo?" Emma ask. "They hijack our _neurons?_ "

 _"Yes, to help them sift through the data."_ Bishop answer with a sigh. " _Deacon..."_

"No, wait! My sister's at Abstergo now! She might be suffering by something called the bleeding effect, and they wanted to make sure she doesn't. Or something. If they are _hijacking..."_

 _"The bleeding effect? Are you sure?"_ Bishop asks, now with genuine interest.

"Yes! They were to keep her there for the night. To monitor her visions, or something similar."

 _"Oh..."_

 _"What's your sister's name?" s_ omeone else ask from somewhere just outside the frame.

"Anna. Anna Marie Andersen." Emma answer. "We are twins, and... I... I forced her to contact them when she started to hallucinate. Will they... hurt her? What is the bleeding effect?"

" _The bleeding effect is when your genetic memory correspond to the genetic memories used in the Animus technology. Theoretically, if you can control the bleeding effect, you can remember every experience your ancestors has ever had. However, the side effects are... serious, to say the least. No-one has yet managed to maintain a sane connection to reality. The memories of the subjects ancestors bleed into his or her personality, slowly erasing or replacing his or her memories. The subject may experience hallucinations, difficulties remembering the date, their name, or... well, everything that make this person him or her."_

"Oh, crap..." Emma whispers, and reach for her phone to call Anna.

" _Wait!"_ Bishop yell, and once again catch Emma's attention. " _If she's at Abstergo now, there's nothing you can do to help her. It's a fortress, and if you tell Abstergo you know the full extent of the bleeding effect, they'll know you've talked to someone. You might put yourself and your sister in danger."_

"I can't sit here doing nothing at all!" she hiss, and glare at Bishop's face. Is it even a real face, or is it a mask?

 _"You have no choice at the moment. All we can do is to hope you were wrong, and that Abstergo dismiss this and send her home."_

"Shit..."

" _Pretty much sums it up, yeah."_ Bishop sighs, and look at Emma once again. Symphaty is clear on her face. _"If you need a distraction we can pull you through the simulation of some unsecvenced genetic memories. You think you can handle it... Emma? We'll try to be with you all the way through."_

"Yeah..."Emma answer, and a few seconds later the screen is replaced by a young boy and his father, outside a palace in paris...


	6. Chapter 6

She spend the hours of the night walking through the memories of Arno Victor Dorian. At times, Bishop or Deacon leave a smug remark, or say something that is actually useful. For once the nausea isn't overwhelming either, which is a relief. Despite what has happened, she cant help enjoying the simulation. It actually feels like as if she's there, living his life with him. Feeling his pain, joy and sorrow, and share his failures and success. As she walk through the simulation, she finally understand why Anna spent so much time walking through them.

When she finally can't hold back a yawn that somehow manage to alter the whole simulation, she decide she can't keep it up any longer. She's also ashamed about the fact that she managed to forget about Anna's uncertain fate at Abstergo.

"I cant go on any further today." she says, yawning. The simulation fade, and is replaced by Bishop's face. Deacon says something indistinguishable from his position outside the screen, and Bishop throw him an annoyed glance before returning her attention to Emma.

 _"I understand. We contacted you late, and you've been at it for six hours straight now." S_ he hesitate, then add " _We probably shouldn't have kept you in the simulation this long. We thought the Helix was safer than the real animuses, but..."_ Her voice trail off, but Emma don't need to hear her complete the sentence. Bishop's talking about the bleeding effect again. " _Have some rest."_

"I will." Emma says, not certain her sleep will be as soothing as she hope. However, she log off after hearing Bishop tell her they will set up something that alert them when she log onto the Helix again. She can't find any reason why not. If Anna's not coming back early tomorrow, she'll have to wait for hours with no one to talk to. If that wont drive her crazy, then nothing will.

When she wake up the next morning, there's a new e-mail. It's from Abstergo, notifying her that there's a high possibility that Anna suffer from the bleeding effect and that they'll keep her close and under care. There's no information about what they'll do to make her better, or any additional information of what the bleeding effect really is. Whit Bishop's words echoing in her mind, she write a short reply, stating that she'll come to visit later that afternoon. That's when she realise it's already late afternoon, and that she won't make it to Abstergo until dusk. She alter the message, and state that she'll come visit tomorrow afternoon. The reply is fast. Before she's checked all her messages, there's a reply in her inbox, welcoming her to visit Anna anytime tomorrow.

She sighs, and with no better options, she walk into Anna's room and start the Helix. Two minutes later, Bishop and Deacon transfer her into the memory-sequence from Arno Dorian, where she nce again immerse herself in the simulation.

Hours later, when she log off, she decide she have to set a alarm for the morning or she'll sleep that day away too. She can't do that to Anna. She can't allow herself to forget about her sister.


	7. Chapter 7

"You feeling better?"

Anna shrugs as she try to sit. She's not really feeling bad, bur not good either. It's like as if there's a fog clouding her mind, and she cant recall the woman's name at first. She's certain they've met before, though.

"Your sister wasn't able to come visit you today, but she'll make sure to come visit tomorrow."

Her sister. Claudia, right? No, wait, that wasn't it. Anna, maybe... No, not that either. Something similar though... Emma! Yeah, that was it. Her sister's name was Emma. The woman in front of her is Melanie, from Abstergo Entertainment. As for herself, she is Anna. At least she think she is. She should be more certain, but she cant. The realization probably should terrify her. Somehow it doesn't.

"What happened?" Anna ask, shaking her head to clear out the fog. It doesn't work, though.

"Um... To be honest with you, we put a certain substance in the water you drank yesterday to... well, get more data to work with. It also make the dreams seem more real though, and you seemed to... well, responding to this in a unexpected manner."

"So?"

"We had to sedate you in order to prevent you from accidently hurting someone."

"Oh." Anna can't think of anything else, more inspiring answer to that.

"We would like your permission to examine a sample of your blood, to determine if you have any genetic memories that could have amplified your chances to suffer from the bleeding effect."

"Wait... so I _do_ suffer from the bleeding effect?"

"As far as we can determine, yes. A strange version, perhaps, but a lot of the symptoms match."

"And what does that signify? I mean, you haven't really told me what the bleeding effect actually is."

"Oh, give your ranting a rest." Otso Berg interrupt angrily. "Just give us the damn answer. Do you give your consent or not?"

In a flash of anger, Anna can't help replying in a spiteful way "Tell me what the bleeding effect is, and I may consider it. You're keeping me in the dark, and I don't like it at all!"

"You spiteful little..."

"Otso, please calm down." Melanie interrupt, and hold him back as he take a few steps toward Anna.

"We can't tell you everything about it, since it's classified information at the moment. And... well, we don't truly understand the bleeding effect yet. Actually, we would like to keep you here for testing. To see if we perhaps can shed some more light on the subject. That's another reason why we want a sample of your blood. For the research, I mean."

"I'm not really sure if I want to participate." She announce this with an edge to her voice, and back away from them.

"You don't really have an option, at the moment I'm afraid." Melanie says with regret in her voice. "One of our recent... employees... went mad because of the bleeding effect. Before he committed suicide, he was considered a danger to the rest of our staff, and was locked away. The visions drove him mad in the end."

"And he carved himself open to silence the voices in his head." Otso finishes.

"We can't let your condition get any worse than it already is. For the sake of your safety, and the ones close to you, we advice you to reconsider."

"I..."

She cant find the words, and feel the ground give way beneath her. Convenient enough, there's a bed right behind her, and she sit down and put her face in her hands, trying hard to think about her situation.

As she focus, she feel the world shift to the greyish nuance once again. As she look at Melanie and Otso, they flare in an angry red colour. In nearly every game she's ever played, red signify enemies. Maybe this is based upon the same principle, whatever this is. They certainly aren't her allies or friends. If they were, they wouldn't keep her in the dark about this, would they?

"I need to speak to Emma..." she whisper.

"She'll come to visit you tomorrow afternoon." Melanie answer, once again with sympathy in her voice. "And I don't think you should tell her about the... extreme case of bleeding effect. This hasn't gone nearly as far, and we won't allow it to progress further."

Behind Melanie, Otso cough and discreetly turn away from her. Anna notice this, however, but she doesn't dare to mention anything about it.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Note: Hi! I'm looking for constructive criticism, to improve my skills as a writer. I know my grammar isn't perfect, but please note that I'm not a native English speaker. If you see any repeated grammatical errors, or anything else, story or language, please pm me so I can improve my language. Thank you beforehand. /Ronaan**_

"I'm going to visit my sister today." Emma announce to Bishop and Deacon. She is well aware that they will disapprove of her walking into the wolves' den, but she can't ignore the fact that Anna is held there, whether she is a captive or a guest. She explain this to them as they begin to question her decision.

When she finally manage to convince them that she have to go, she's been forced to promise not to mention anything about her knowledge of what the bleeding effect is, or about them. She can't help thinking about their attempt futile. How would Abstergo manage to track them if they use a genetic memory sequence that Abstergo hasn't even noticed? Sure, they might be able to track _her_ movements, but that wouldn't really put Bishop or Deacon in any danger, since she doesn't even know their real names. Of course, she's not very good with computers, so she's probably not the best judge of what is and what isn't putting them in danger. And she would not risk telling Abstergo that she know about what they might be doing.

Two hours later, as she step inside the giant glass-building that is Abstergo Enterprises and Entertainment, she's having second thoughts about going here. A female employee named Laura greet her, and proceed to lead her to Anna's room. As she walk the open and airy corridors she feel oddly trapped. Something is going on here at Abstergo, and she has unwillingly become involved due to her sister's mental health and Bishop's appearance on her monitors. She can't back down, but if she proceed, she might put herself and Anna in danger. One wrong step, and... No, she can't bare the thought.

When they finally, after what felt like an eternity, arrive outside Anna's room, they leave them seemingly alone. Emma can't relax though, and know better than to confide what's happened to Anna.

"How are you?" she asks, giving her sister a worried glance.

"Considering I have a possibly severely damaged brain, I feel good." Anna answers, a flicker of dark humour in her eyes.

"You're not funny, Anna..." Emma growls, and glare at her for even trying to make light of the situation at hand. "What have they said? What will they do?"

"They are going to make some tests." she answers, not really eager to share any information.

"Well, what kind of tests?"

"I've already given them a sample of my blood, and there will be some brain scanning, I think. I haven't really considered it, to be honest. I don't want to think about it, really."

"I want to know, though. And mum and dad will want to know as well."

"Yeah, I suppose..." Anna's gaze flickers, and she turn away as if in shame. "Have they said anything?"

"Not really. Their plane back got delayed, so they're stuck at an airport somewhere. Not sure where though. I haven't really had the chance to talk to them. They are probably worried though."

"I guess I would be too..."

"Anna, you're starting to freak me out now." Emma says, shaking her head. Anna's not acting normal at all. She shouldn't guess or suppose that people might care about her. She should know they do. And she wouldn't be uninterested in what's happening to her. Something is not as it should be.

Bishop's words echo in her mind. _The subject may experience hallucinations, difficulties remembering the date, their name, or everything that make this person him or her._ It can't be. Is Anna truly loosing herself? Will she in the end be replaced by someone entirely else? Another person's memories blended with her own until there's no clear difference at all? A stranger with her sister's face. If even that. She might become a madman instead. Someone she'll never be able to talk to again. Someone she can only visit at an asylum.

"I'm sorry." Anna answer, looking up at her with sadness in her eyes. "I just... I'm not really good at handling this. I'm going insane, and there's a chance that nothing can be done about it. I just... I still see visions. Only, now I see them outside my dreams as well. It's like as if he world turn greyish, and people flare in either red, blue or grey. And a few hours ago I saw a shadow."

"Anna..." Emma says, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I don't even know if it was a real person, or just another hallucination."

"I..." She struggle to find the right thing to say, but she can't. Whatever she says to comfort her will only feel forced and untrue.

"I just... didn't realize before, I think."

"Realize what?" Emma look at Anna with hope that she might find something resembling good news.

"I'm not sure whether or not I've imagined some of the people around me lately. I think some of them were hallucinations as well."

Emma struggle hard not to burst into tears.

Half an hour later, she's out of Abstergo Enterprise and Entertainment. Finally, she can give into the panic flowing inside her, as she run home even though it's five miles to their house. When she arrive at home she's exhausted, but then the tears start. For an hour or two, she can't focus on anything else than her grief, and when the tears finally run out she log onto the Helix to talk to Bishop and Deacon.

"She's worse." she says immediately when Bishop appear on her screen. "She's loosing her grip completely."

Bishop can't find anything comforting to say, but Emma's not surprised. There's nothing anyone can say that might be comforting in any way at all.


	9. Chapter 9

It's happened so fast. Everything Anna thought she knew about herself, every memory, every face, every thought, somehow may not be her own anymore. She's started to listen to the voices she somehow know she's had in the back of her head for weeks, or even months now. It truly is driving her deeper into the madness, and she's beginning to realise that she can't ignore the madness, slowly descending in her mind. The worst part is that she can't do anything about them. She can _try_ to ignore them, but the more she tries, the harder they get to ignore.

It's been three days since her sister visited her the first time. At least she think three days has passed, but she can't be certain. The days seem to blend into one another, and with the thickening fog clouding her own memories, she's not even certain whether or not she visited her at all. Maybe she was just another hallucination.

She sighs and lean back against the wall. As she close her eyes she feel herself drift away slightly, and she welcome the sensation. It is a good distraction from her own troubled mind.

"How are you feeling today?"

The voice snap her back into reality, and some instinct make her flick her wrist to arm herself with her hidden wrist-blade. There's no blade there though, and the psychologist look at her with a evaluating look in her eyes. He's noticed the odd movement, she's certain of it, and the lack of her blade feels wrong.

No, not her blade. She's never owned a wrist-blade. It's just another one of these sensations.

Even though she know deep inside that it's not her own thought, the sensation of being unarmed make her uncomfortable. It's not a defenceless feeling, rather a cause of irritation and discomfort.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asks. Concern is distinguishable in his voice, but it's nearly drowned under the curiosity. He's interested in the effects more than her well-being.

"Anna." she answer, and see him give her a smile in answer. It was the right name. Else he wouldn't have smiled encouraging.

"And your last name?"

"A..." She hesitate, not certain of that. Something beginning with an A, but that's the only real clue. "Auditore?"

The psychologist smile and make a note on his pad. "Age?"

"Eighteen."

"Good. Tell me about your family."

"My mother's name is Maria, and my father's Eric. I have a sister named..." She struggle to find the names. The first name that appear is Claudia, but that's not the right one. Does she have two sisters for real? No, she can't decide. Something beginning with an E. "Em... Emily?"

"Anna, your real name is Anna Andersen, not Anna Auditore. Your mother's name is Helen, and your sister is Emma. You were right about your father's though, and your own age."

The words are probably supposed to be comforting, but instead they fill her with dread. She's forgotten their names. The names of those she care for the most.

She shake her head as if to clear it, and try to take in this piece of information. She have to remember their names, or she'll lose everything. She repeat their names obediently, and then nod a thank you to the psychologist even though she'd rather hit him fully in his face to wipe away the sympathetic smile of his.

"Do you remember Melanie? She would like to talk to you, if you think you're up to it."

She remember Melanie. The red-haired woman, who work here at... Abstergo?

"I'll send her in." he says before he leave the room, and leave her alone with her shattered memories.

When Melanie arrives she manage a small smile, and receive another in return. Melanie is the only one here who actually seem to care about her well-being. The man that usually follow her, the grim-faced man whose name she can't recall is a whole other story though. He fill her with dread.

"We've analysed your sample of blood, and it seems you have corresponding genetic memories to some of the characters explored in the Helix."

"Really." She can't manage to sound excited.

"Yes. They are not identical, but we'll start sipping through the data tomorrow. If you want to, you can come see the memories for yourself then. Otso think you should be the one simulating the memories, but it might be a risk for you, considering your... condition."

"I feel fine." she says defensively.

"Of course..." Melanie says, still smiling but with a worried edge in her voice. "Parallel to exploring your genetic memories, we will also start to see if there's any oddities in your blood that might exist due to the bleeding effect. We'll also put you in the brain-scanner one more time this evening, to measure your brain activity."

"I see."

"I strongly recommend that you do not agree to simulating the genetic data tomorrow, though. It might worsen your condition, which is the contrary of what we want."

"I'll think about it." Anna answer with a nod.

When Melanie leave her she can't help the feeling that they treat her like a child. She is capable of taking care of herself, and she is interested in her own genetic memories. The choice is clear in her mind, and even if it wasn't, the man with the menacing glare would more or less force her into the situation. He doesn't care about her mental health. He only care about the information, and if he can achieve it without putting his own employees in danger, all the better for him.

The thought _templar bastard_ flash through her mind. She's not certain the thought is fully her own, but he certainly isn't a nice guy.


	10. Chapter 10

As Bishop close the simulation, Emma sigh. She can't believe there's no more genetic data of any interest from Arno Dorian to explore. It feels like as if she's become a pat of him, almost. As if she knows what his thoughts were, and all of his dreams and fears. As if she was is sister.

The thought of Anna is never absent in her mind, but it has faded into a dull acceptance in her mind. She know she should go visit her, but she can't bring herself to walk into Abstergo Enterprise and Entertainment again, only to find her sister shattered and confused. Almost not recognisable anymore. It is a closing wound she don't want to re-open again.

"Emma, you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess." she answer, not certain if it's a lie or a truth. "I was just wondering what to do next."

"Well, actually we wanted to talk to you about that."

"If you have any proposals, I'm listening." She can't help a smile, even though it might not be good news.

"You know about the Assassins and Templars now, and you've probably figured it out by now. I mean, Abstergo are what's become of the Templar order, and we are Assassins who have to keep them from controlling every aspect of human daily life."

"I figured that out, yes." Emma answer, glad Bishop's finally decided to confirm her suspicions.

"Good." Bishop smile, and look o her right, where Deacon probably sit. "And what do you believe?"

"I don't really know, actually. I don't trust Abstergo anymore though, and I don't like that they're keeping Anna there at all."

"I understand that." Bishop answer. "But my real question is which side you would choose if you had to choose."

"The Assassins." Emma answer without a trace of doubt in her mind.

"That's what we wanted to hear." Bishop's smile widens, and another face appear on the screen.

"Hello. I'm Shaun. We've met, though you've never actually seen me." It is Deacon's voice, and even though he doesn't smile Emma knows he appreciate her choice of allegiance.

"Hi." she answer sheepishly, for the first time addressing him in personal.

"We're looking for recruits, in fact." Bishop says. "If you're interested in joining the ranks of the Assassin Brotherhood, we would be honoured to welcome you."

The offer stun her at first, and then terror take over. To make herself an enemy of Abstergo? What will they do with Anna if they find out her sister's joined the ranks o the Assassins? But, a sensation of excitement slowly replace the initial terror. To be an Assassin... To work for the good of mankind, to serve a higher purpose...

"I... I don't know what to say." she answer, and shake her head slowly with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Think about it for a while, and if you're interested, come meet our associates in the park a few hundred meters north of your house by midnight." Bishop smile as Emma repeat the instructions. "They'll give you more information about your future position in the Brotherhood there."

"I'll think about it." Emma answers, still smiling at the thought. "I'll come for the information, at the very least."

"I thought so." Bishop turn to Deacon, or Shaun, as his real name is, and listen to something he whispers. "Well, we'll try to make life hard for Abstergo now. Make sure not to tell anyone where you're going tonight."

"I won't." Emma promise, and then Bishop and Shaun are gone from the screen.

To join the Assassin Brotherhood... The thought is both exciting and frightening at the same time. What will they expect from her? What should she expect to find? Do they have allies strong enough to compete with Abstergo Enterprises?

Ten minutes before midnight, she leave home. A few minutes later she's there, searching the seemingly abandoned park for any sign of life. Nothing. Not a single trace of life. Just her, and a lost fox.

As the time pass midnight, she realise someone's watching her. She turn, and see a man coming towards her. As she turn once again, she see a woman, and when she look again she realise there are four of them. Two men and two women.

"I presume you're Emma." the first man says. He's wearing a brown suit, and has a weary yet evaluating look in his eyes. "My name is William Miles."

"Pleased to meet you." Emma says as she shake his hand. She feel a bit uncomfortable, but she has never been very good at talking to complete strangers.

"Hi Emma, I'm Rebecca. Rebecca Crane." says the woman with short black hair. She's wearing a silvery headset, and Emma immediately understand she's the one who's keeping contact with the rest of the brotherhood. "I'm so sorry about your sis, but we're gonna get her out of there real fast once we have a plan."

"Thanks." Emma answer, not certain if she should smile gratefully or act cool.

"Bishop told me you'd probably want some information at hand before deciding whether or not o join us." Rebecca continue. "There's not much we actually _can_ tell you, as some of it is for you yourself to discover, and most of the rest are secrets we can't afford to give away to someone who isn't part of our ranks."

"I understand."

"Good." Rebecca smile. "You'll receive training, of course. We have an animus training program which work out pretty good. We won't keep you in there for any longer sessions though, to minimize the risks of encountering the bleeding effect."

"There are rules too." William says. "While our words may be _Nothing is true, Everything is permitted,_ we cant allow you to talk to anyone but us about the brotherhood. I don't think I need to explain why. We have three tenants. _Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent, hide in plain sight,_ and _never compromise the brotherhood."_

It seemed reasonable enough, and with Arno's memories of the creeds rules she couldn't imagine any reason for her to worry about breaking the rules. The only thing that might force her to betray them would probably be torture.

"The only real issue about you joining our ranks is your sisters current position at Abstergo." William continue, giving her a sharp look. Emma nod. She expected that, actually.

"But it's not really as big an issue as it could be." the other man says, casting a sideways glance at William. "I... I think I probably should tell her."

"Do so then." William says indifferently.

"I work undercover at Abstergo, as a psychologist. I've been assigned to your sister, and will keep an eye out for her. I think I might be able to think about something that will convince them to let her go. However, at the moment Abstergo's her only chance of getting better. They aren't lying about the bleeding effect, that much is certain."

"Thank you." Emma says with something caught up her throat. "I appreciate it."

She really do. It's like as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Someone will look out for Anna when she herself can't.

"Have you decided then?" William ask. "Will you join the Assassin Brotherhood?"

Emma hesitate, knowing she won't be able to turn back once she's made the decision. But she already know the answer. She's known it since Bishop and Shaun first presented the option to her. It doesn't matter that it might be dangerous for her. Knowing what Abstergo is doing, and what the machine of their creation caused Anna, she can't let them roam free if she has anything to say about it.

"Yes." she says, voice steady. "I wish to join the Assassin Brotherhood."


	11. Chapter 11

Melanie is not present as Otso Berg, a technichan and the psychologist lead her to the Animus in which she will explore her own ancestors' memories. She's not surprised. After all, Melanie opposed the idea of using her to sift through the memories. It was Berg whom insisted on it being her duty. There is another woman there though, but she keep silent. None of the others seem to notice her, so she assume the woman is a hallucination.

"Whose memories am I going through?" Anna asks.

"We recognized the genetic sequence of Ezio Auditore's memories. However, his... activities... are commonly known now. You've probably simulated some of his memories through the Helix." the technician answer. "He has probably had more than one illegitimate child, and I believe we have found the genetic memory of that child."

"Oh." Anna doesn't have anything more intelligent to say. The name Ezio is familiar though, and she recall him being a ladies man, to say the least. The thought of someone like him having illegitimate children is not shocking. To have more or less a confirmation that she has "ladies of the night" in her pedigree is not as shocking as it should be either.

When they arrive at the Animus and the technician start to power the machine up, the psychologist cough to get Otso's attention.

"It could worsen her condition severely if you put her in there." he objects. "I strongly recommend that we use someone else to sift through these memories."

"I want that information fast, and to get it at the fastest pace possible, is with the strongest synch. It is her DNA. She has the strongest synch with the data, therefore, she will sift through it. If you do your job correctly, there won't be any risks. Do you _understand?_ "

"I do." the psychologist answer unhappily. Then he gather himself and glare up at Otso. "But no sessions longer than half an hour. After that, rest for two hours with fresh air. And I want to check in on her immediately after a session in the Animus is finished.

"Yes, yes. Whatever." says Otso and wave it away as if it doesn't mean anything at all.

"I'll make a quick check." the psychologist says and turn to Anna. "What is your full given name?"

"Anna Andersen." she answers, not aware that she forgets her middle-name.

"Who are your parents? Names and professions. Are they married, and if they are, when did they marry?"

"Erik and Helen Andersen. My father is a banker, and my mother a teacher. They married year 1452."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"One sister, named Emma."

"Any others?"

Anna hesitate. Does she have any other siblings? "I don't think so..."

"Which year were you born?"

"Year 1996."

"When your parents were at the age of at least 550 years..." Otso says with a sharp edge to his voice, startling her. "You need to sort yourself out later."

"You're not actually helping her right now..." the psychologist says with a hint off irritation in his voice. Anna herself, is trying desperately to remember the right things, but she's loosing things. There is an edge of uncertainty on everything she doesn't constantly remind herself of. She cast a glance at the woman, but she doesn't gaze back. The psychologist follow her gaze. "Is someone there?" he asks.

"I don't think she's real..." Anna admits. "You've been ignoring her, so I don't think she's actually there."

"She is real." the psychologist admits with an exhausted expression upon his face.

"I'm here both to see whether you can decide whether or not people are hallucinations, and to sedate you if something goes wrong while you're in the Animus." the woman says, giving her a curious look. "Seems you failed the first test."

"Don't pester her about it." says the psychologist. He is clearly not amused about the situation, and when he decide to stay to watch her simulations none of the others object.

"Okay. This is the version of the Animus known to us as the Animus Omega. You have had experience with the Helix, so you know there is a initial chance of nausea." says the technician as he double-check the control pad of the Animus. "The principle is basically the same as in the Helix, as the Helix is based upon this machinery. We will connect your neurons to the Animus, and through them we will be able to record the genetic memory stored in your DNA and project them upon this screen here. You should have, as Otso mentioned, a very high synch-rate, as this is your own DNA sequences we're exploring. You need to keep up with your ancestor, as I'm sure you are aware of. The better you keep up, the higher rate of synchronisation you get."

"Why are there controls? Why not just follow their memories as if you're watching a..." Anna search for the right word. "... a movie?"

"Actually, that..."

"Is highly classified information." Otso interrupt with a sharpness in his voice that make the other times he's said anything to sound friendly.

"Uhm, okay..." says Anna. She decide not to press the matter further, but the curiosity is still there.

"Anyways, if you perform actions that your ancestor performed, you will maintain synchronisation, and maybe even augment it. However, if you try to perform anything that did _not_ happen, it will cause the simulation to collapse. And a desynchronisation where we have to reload the memory. In the Helix we removed some of these aspects, but this is an unsequenced memory, so you'll have to follow your ancestor's movements and actions more closely than in the Helix. Are you with me so far?"

"I think so..." Anna says, though she's far from certain.

"Good. The ancestor whose life you will explore is this girl." A picture of a girl with dark-brown hair and amber eyes stare back at her. She's clad in a white hooded robe, and seem to regard the mirror, whose edges fill the outer parts of the picture, with something dangerous in mind. "Her name is Sienna, and she is the illegitimate daughter of Ezio Auditore and the courtesan Eleanora. She was brought up as a courtesan, but apparently she deserted this profession and became something else entirely."

"Okay..." Anna says. Considering what a courtesan was a synonym for, she's starting to have serious doubts of whether or not she should do this.

"Here." He hands her a headset, and expect her to put it on. She does, and sit down in the chair in front of the Animus Omega.

The technician press some keys in a command, and the screen come to life before her eyes. The headset transform it into a three-dimensional world, and as she realise she can even feel what Sienna feels, she know it isn't just a visual. It's not like any of the simulations she's ever experienced before in the Helix. The Omega is far more complex, and so much better. This is not just a simulation. This truly is reliving the past.

* * *

 _ **Note:**_

 _ **This chapter was truly amazing to write! I may not have all the facts correctly, but I think I managed quite well if I may say so :)**_

 _ **Personally, I think the story will be more interesting from now on. This is going to be so fun to write, and words can't explain how excited I am! :D**_

 _ **/Ronaan**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Note:**_

 _ **I try to keep as true to the facts presented in the games, books and wikia as possible. If you see anything that contradict anything you've seen or know, please notify me and I'll have a look to see if I can do something about it. Some things are added though. One of these things is that the memories simulated through the Animus is from a first-person view. (To experience the memories of a specific person from a third-person view is not logical at all in my opinion. Seriously, who remember himself/herself watching himself/herself running from a two/three meter distance?) I hope that isn't too disturbing :)**_

 _ **/Ronaan**_

* * *

"You ready?"

Emma nod and try a smile. She doesn't fool Samantha though. It's as if she can sniff out any nervousness or insecurity there is. She is ready, here's no question about that. It's just some nerves. It is not every day you meet assassins in training, after all. It is normal to be nervous in a situation like hers.

"Word of advice. Don't tell them about Anna yet. They might not take that too well, considering the training program will be through the animi."

"How does the Animi-training program work?" Emma ask. She realise the potential with the faster training, but she didn't actually understand _how_ it works.

"Well... When you're in the animus, you feel everything the subject felt at the time. You feel the movements. You perform them with him. Your muscle-memories combine, and you achieve new memories that influence you."

"Forgive me for questioning this, but that actually sound a lot like the bleeding effect."

"That's because it is." Samantha answers with a tight smile. "There are more than one type of memories though, and Becca has managed to modify the memories so that you only will simulate the memories of the training sessions. Furthermore, only one hour a day is permitted. The rest of the day consist of other forms of training."

"Running?"

"Precisely. Running, climbing, weapons, computer-science, history. And the philosophy of our order, of course."

"But are you certain it's safe?" Emma urge, referring to using the bleeding effect as part of the training.

"Nothing is absolutely certain." Samantha answer with a grave voice. "Nothing is true, remember?"

"Yeah, I do remember. But why use this if there's a risk?"

"If you were to learn to fight for real, there would be a significantly higher chance of getting hurt. You'd take a risk whichever path you chose. This one is faster, so it's the one we use."

"I suppose that make sense..." Emma says, still not thoroughly convinced. "How long will the training take?"

"It depends of how well you synch with the genetic memory, and how fast your condition improve. And on how well you absorb the history and philosophy. That's the most important part, I'd say. The lowest amount of animus-sessions used is three, and the highest eleven so far. You look as if you're in acceptable shape, so I'd say a week or two for the physical training. Then it all comes down to the philosophy and history."

"Good thing mid term break start tomorrow." Emma says, trying to make a joke out of it. Samantha laugh, and lead her inside.

In the hall, there's seven different activities going on. There's a treadmill, a high altitude free-running path a few meters above them, two big computer screens, a table with an arsenal of different weapons, and an empty table. On every station there's at least one person. Six of them are about her age. The other eight are older.

The thing that catch her attention, however, is the chair-like machine in the far corner of the room. The Animus. It has to be the animus.

The animus is the one station that no-one use, but with two attendants. One of them is Rebecca, Emma realize.

"Emma!" Rebecca greet her with a warm and open smile and a hug that Emma return sheepishly. She like Rebecca. There's a certain energy surrounding her. "Beauty here is ready to fire up, if you're ready."

"Oh, um, I..." Emma says, not really sure whether or not it's a good idea.

"You know what?" Rebecca says with a knowing grin. "None of the others has volunteered to go first, and I think they're nervous about what they'll face. If you want to make a good first impression, here's your chance."

"Oh, I see. I think I'm ready." Emma says. Rebecca smile and make a gesture for her to sit down. "Is everyone here new?"

"Fresh new reqruits, all the lot of them." Rebecca take out a long needle and show it to her. "Take a deep breath and relax."

"Oh." Before she can say anything else, the needle is in her arm, and she's connected to the machine.

"This will take a few minutes to synch fully." Rebecca says. "I'll gather everyone here before we start."

"I'll summon them." Samantha walk into the middle of the hall, and says: "Initiates, we'll have a meeting around the animus now. No excuses."

"What if I can't get down?" someone says mockingly a he take a leap from a bar in the roof to another.

"Find a way." Samantha answer, and return to the animus.

When everyone is gathered around the animus, and Emma, she finally have a chance to examine them all. Four boys and two girls. All of them her age, give or take a few years.

"So. Emma here has volunteered to go first." Samantha says, turning everyone's' attention to her. She try not to flinch as they look down on her where she sit in a machine that might turn her insane if something go wrong. "Becca?"

"Yeah. The assassin whose combat-training you will follow is Ezio Auditore. You probably know who he is. Abstergo displayed a choice of his memories in the Helix."

"The Italian murderer?" one of the boys ask.

"Assassin." Rebecca correct him. "But yes, we have used his memories to train others, and the initiates, you, know who he is. He's an obvious choice. Anyways, you'll see what Emma experience on this screen here. This is far more vivid than the Helix, or the screens Abstergo call the Animus Omega. Therefore we have to secure your arms and feet to the chair, to prevent any unintentional harm to anyone or anything."

As she say this she fasten a few clasps, and when the last one is fastened, Emma is securely locked in the chair.

"And I presume this is the moment for you to go have lunch..." she mutters, glaring at the clasps. Someone start to giggle, and she force a smile in return.

"Exactly!" Rebecca beam down at her, and press a few buttons. The machine start to hum silently, and everyone talking fall silent. "There. We'll go through a few things before I power her up fully. You see some indications here on the screen. The one in the upper left corner is your sync-rate. Perform well, and you'll stay synced. Perform badly, and you might be desynchronized. In the down left corner, you'll see your progress through the genetic memory-sequence. The indicator in the lower right corner is nothing you'll have to pay attention to here. It only indicate something when your own genetic memory is compatible with the sequence you study. Last, but certainly not least: Only half an hour animi-training per day, and make sure someone is supervising your simulation. _No_ exceptions whatsoever. Am I clear?"

"Yeah." someone says. Others join in.

"Awesome! Then let's get on with it!"

She turn the power on, and the animus power up. The small screens right before her eyes that are supposed to project the pictures draw closer, and the room is replaced by images from another time more than five-hundred years before. A man in front of her with an ugly scar over one of his eyes stand before her. A name flash in the right upper corner of the screen. Mario Auditore. He proceeds to give her instructions, and she feel herself, or if it's Ezio, listen carefully and trying to visualize how the action is performed. After Mario demonstrate the move, Emma try to copy it as best she can, alongside Ezio. She manage to perform something that might be recognized as the move, but not good enough for Mario, who encourage Ezio to try again until he can perform the move.

 _"Should that one show anything?" s_ omeone outside the animus says, breaking her concentration and causing her to desynchronize. Rebecca doesn't immediately reset the memory, and it traps Emma in a grey matrix of lines.

 _"No... But no matter. It's nothing that can cause any trouble."_

"Is something wrong?" Emma ask.

" _No... I'll reset the memory for you. Hang on."_

It turns out that the animi-training program is awesome, and when Emma's half an hour is over, she can feel the strain of her muscles as one of the other trainers beacon her to him. He turns out to be the supervisor of the free-running station, and as free-running was one of the things she tried in the animus, she figures _why not._ She have to learn all these things after all. Why not start with free-running, and risk her life immediately.


	13. Chapter 13

For days, they have been travelling from Florence to Rome. The travel should probably make her excited, but she can't feel the uncomplicated feelings from her youth anymore. Since her mother initiated her training in the courtesan arts, she's always felt uncomfortable and unable to be herself. It's not that she think of herself as any better than her mother or the other courtesans. She just can't picture herself as one of them. She can't swirl men around her fingers to make them tell her their secrets, and even if she could, she wouldn't want to pay the price that she would have to pay in order to achieve the information. Sure, it is a way to help the assassins and their cause, in which se believe. But the way of the courtesans isn't her way. She want to be out in a different kind of field. A field where she won't be humiliated and feel used every single day for the rest of her life.

"You said we would arrive come evening, right mother?" she ask, turning to the woman who gave birth to her sixteen years ago, year 1484.

"Yes, Sienna. her mother answer impatiently. "But f you remain as impatient and double-checking as you are at the moment, you'll never succeed in life."

"You mean I'll never succeed as a courtesan." Sienna says with an edge to her voice. She's all to well aware that her mother's profession is something that will weigh her down in any other profession Sienna might try in the future. The only possible path for Sienna to walk, is one of those in the shadows. A thief, beggar, courtesan... or an assassin.

Her father is an assassin. And not just an assassin. He is _the_ Assassin. Ezio Auditore. One of the most successful assassins throughout history. She has the heritage, and could probably walk down that path as well. Become a hero, just like him. Not a courtesan, giggling at men whom might be contagious with something she wouldn't want to catch...

 _The screen flickers, and Anna can hear Otso Berg telling the technician to fast forward in the memory. Images flicker past her eyes, and she feel nausea swell up inside as the scenery change and she, no, Sienna arrive in Rome."_

The city smell of shit and smoke, and there are rats on the streets. People immediately see her and her mother for what they are by their clothes, and Sienna resist the urge to conceal herself. Instead she avoid meeting peoples eyes, and ignore the drunk gazes following them as they move through the streets of Rome to visit La Rosa in Fiore, the biggest assembly point for courtesans loyal to the assassin brotherhood. As the lights fade, less people are out on the streets, but those who stay are those that could mean trouble.

"Let us hurry." her mother says nervously as they move through the streets. Sienna nod and speed up the pace, cursing the dress once again.

At long last, they arrive at _La Rosa in Fiore._ It is an old building, and one of the buildings with candles still burning in the windows. When they open the doors, laughter can be heard from upstairs, and the smell of alcohol and perfume is thick in the air. If Sienna wasn't so used to smells like these, she would have gagged.

"We seek to talk to Madonna Solari." her mother says to one of the girls. "Is she in?"

"Madonna Solari was killed." The answer is abrupt, and doesn't offer many explanations. Both Sienna and her mother stiffen.

"Killed? By whom?"

"Slave-traders. Messer Auditore went to bargain for her freedom, but they slit her throat instead."

"I pray they paid for that."

"Oh they did, signora. They paid with their lives."

A man walk down the stairs, clad in white assassin-robes. Sienna doesn't need her mother to nudge her and tell her who he is. _Messer Auditore._ Of course it's him. Her father.

"I'm... I'm delighted to hear that, Messer Ezio."

"I was hoping my presence here in Roma would stay a secret." Ezio sigh, but it is clear that he doesn't care much about it. "Do any of you happen to know where I can find Claudia?"

"She is right behind you." A woman answer with an unamused look at her face.

"Ah, Claudia." Ezio answer with an edge in his voice that probably shouldn't be there.

"You clearly still do not approve of this. Just so that there won't be any misunderstandings, I still don't care about your opinion." She say this with a flat voice, and Sienna look at them in turn, wondering what it's all about.

 _"Okay, half an hour has passed now. Pull her out."_

 _"No. We will wait for the memory to finish."_

 _"If her condition get worse, she might attempt something stupid. If she does, that will mean trouble. She is a civilian, Otso."_

Something changes, and suddenly she is sitting in front of a screen, wondering where her mother, father and aunt is. The people surrounding her seem vaguely familiar.

A sudden pain erupt in her head, and the world turn greyish as the eagle vision trigger. Three of the four people glow in a bright red colour, and one blue. She is captured by enemies, and she flick her wrist in a reflexive motion to arm herself against them.

"Hey, calm down!" the technician say in an alarmed voice.

"Anna?" says the man glowing blue. She stiffen, and look at him. Her ally in this madness. "Your name is Anna. Remember? You are confused, but if you calm down you'll understand. It is the bleeding effect. You still believe you are Sienna, but you are not her. Can you hear me?"

Anna nod, and look at him, slowly relaxing as the greyish vision fade and she recognize Otso, the technician, Melanie and the psychologist.

"Shit." she says. What she feel can't be described by words though. Humiliation , fear, confusion and dizziness are some of the feelings rushing through her, and when she try to stand up she fall over and collapse on the floor. She repeat the single word once more as she accept the psychologists helping hand.

"I think this is more than enough for today." he says with a chilly edge in his voice.

"You're right." Otso answer, and look at them when they leave the room. Anna lean on the psychologist, and Melanie when she catch up with them.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Note:_**

 ** _Sorry about the long break. Iv'e had loads of things in school now, being the last week and all. Now, however, I won't let this much time pass before an update, as I'm graduating this friday and will have more time to write from next week and forward :)_**

* * *

It feels like no time at all has passed when the training is over for the day. She probably should feel exhausted, but she doesn't. The thrill of the exercises, and the satisfaction when she managed to finish one of them with no complaints from the overseer kept her going, and even now the adrenaline flow through her veins.

"Well done initiates!" one of the overseers say with a wide smile. Emma smile too, feeling once again that this might actually be her path. She could make herself at home with this, if it could continue this way. She's all too well aware that it probably won't, though. They are the assassin brotherhood, not because it sounds cool, but because they actually assassinate people. All of the skills she will learn from them will make her an assassin. Someone trained to kill and get away with it.

"Anyone fancy a drink?" someone ask, and Emma nod along with the majority of the initiates and some of the fully fledged assassins. The drink turn out to be some soda from a cooler. When she sip it she realize how thirsty she really is, and gulp it down too fast. As the fizzy-drink bubble through her nose, everyone else start laughing. First, she feel embarrassed and tries to wipe her face free from soda in a desperate attempt to dignify herself once again. When se realise she only make it worse, she give up and start to laugh with the others instead. Laughing is good, and better to join than stand out as the one with no humour.

For the first time, she can talk to the others for more than an exchange of a name and a friendly nod. They are all recruited after talking to Bishop through the Helix, and this doesn't surprise her at all. She suspected that was the case.

There's no personal conversations going on. No last names are mentioned, nothing about families or why they chose to join. It doesn't bother her, though. It is safer for everyone not to know everyone perfectly. She realize it is a lot of different personalities among them though. Some of them are more brash than others, some more quiet, and some unable to stop pacing around on the floor. She's among the second group.

Half an hour later, most of them have left the gym. Emma linger, in hope for some news regarding Anna. They notice that she's left, and Rebecca hold up an open hand. A signal for five minutes.

She sit down on one of the benches placed close to the walls, and once again think about the experiences of the day. Beginning with the Animus, continuing with free-running, philosophy, computers, history among others. The satisfaction when she managed to get through with the exercises, the strange sensation of the simulation... Yes, this has been a very good day indeed, and she hope that she will have many more days like this.

"Hi." Rebecca say when the conversation is finished. Not five, but ten minutes later. "We've got some things to tell you, but we'd better wait for André to get here first."

"When will he be here then? I have to be home within an hour, or my parents will wonder why I'm not home."

"I imagine they aren't in the best of moods."

"No, they're not."

"Okay, everything is not for André to talk about anyway, so I think we can begin without him." Rebecca say with a sideway glance at the others, whom assemble around them. "There' a few new things about her being in their grip."

"The thing is, when you used the animus, something that shouldn't have happened, did happen." Samantha say. "Your own DNA and genetic memory was compatible with Ezio's memories. In other words, you have assassin ancestors."

"Which also mean that your sister, currently at Abstergo, have the same genetic memories..."

"Sorry... sorry I'm late!"

Emma turn towards the door, and see the assassin working under-cover as a psychologist at Abstergo come running across the floor.

"I... I have some news..." He gasp for breath between the words, and doesn't complain when someone offer him one of the leftover sodas. "They are... going through genetic memories... Anna's memories... One of his illegitimate children... Raised among the courtesans..."

"Catch your breath." one of the other assassins say patiently. "No need to talk if we can't make any sense of what you're blabbing 'bout."

"Yeah..." André say, and takes a few deep breaths. "Okay... They're going through Anna's genetic memories. Ezio had an illegitimate daughter who became an assassin. Otso insisted that Anna would be the one going through the memories..."

"What!" Rebecca exclaim, along with some of the others. Emma doesn't say anything. Something inside her start to burn as the safety procedures to prevent the bleeding-effect flash through her mind. This will only serve to make Anna worse.

"I insisted that it was a terrible, terrible idea, but they didn't listen to me. They put her in front of an Omega, and when the simulation was aborted, something snapped within her. She would have attacked them, I think, if I wouldn't have managed to calm her down."

"Will they try again?" Samantha ask with anger and pure hate in her voice.

"I don't know. I hope not." André puts his face in his hands, and groan softly. "I just don't know. I hope that Otso has realised the severity of the bleeding-effect now."

"Ehm, her sister is here, listening."

André meet her gaze, and immediately realize that she wasn't supposed to receive news this severe. She also realize that she won't be given any additional information today, so she turn on her heels and leave the room.

Samantha catch up with her and grab her arm, preventing her from going any further.

"I know you're upset, but you have to calm down and listen to reason before you leave. You..."

"I am calm, and I already know what you're about to say." Emma say without any trace of emotions in her voice. "Never compromise the brotherhood, I know, and I won't do anything. I don't think they'd take it too lightly that I have been talking to you, or that I believe more in your cause than theirs. I'd only gamble with her life."

"I was going to say that, actually." Samantha say with a slight hint of a smile. "We're going to get her out, but we have to come up with a solid plan first, or we'll loose people and even risk Anna's life."

"I know." Emma say. "I appreciate it."

With these words, she leave the room. None of them follow her, and when she cast a glance back she see them talking in hushed voices about the situation. Her sister's situation.

Tomorrow she has a scheduled visit to Abstergo to see Anna, before her training will continue after lunch. She's worried about it, since she knows things that even Anna herself doesn't know, and she have to act unknowing in front of Abstergo.

Fun.

Yeah, right. _Fun_ is the right word to use...


	15. Chapter 15

The psychologist says that her sister will visit her within an hour. She nods, acknowledging it but doesn't offer any conversation. She's too tired to talk, as she spent a few hours in the Animus Omega during the early morning hours. It was Otso Berg's idea to wake her up three in the morning for an animus-session. Just him, her and a technician to run the program smoothly. From the look on Otso's face, she knew then and there, that this was to be kept an absolute secret. If she would ever mention it to anyone, she would regret it.

If the man before her would come to know about it, he would probably go very far to prevent it. It was overexposure to the animi-technology in the Helix that brought her here in the first place. She should be terrified of the possible side-effects. But the truth is, she's not. In fact, she's not even afraid anymore.

Fear is just a trick of the mind. It is nothing else than an imagining of what might happen. Somehow, she has accepted that some things will happen whether or not she want them to. If she tries to imagine a scenario, it is not real. It hasn't happened yet, so it is not true. No fear is true. Everything is possible. The words wake something inside her. A resembling memory of the very same words. The words she used to live by before she forgot who she really am.

"Anna, are you listening to me?"

His words snap her out of her thoughts, and she nod after briefly considering the name he said is hers. Yes, Anna is her name. Once again that morning, she is forced to remind herself that her true identity isn't the renaissance assassin Sienna, daughter of the Italian Master Assassin Ezio Auditore, Il mentore, as the members of the brotherhood call him.

"I drifted of. I'm okay, just a little tired. Didn't get much sleep last night." The art of not telling the truth, but not lying either. Well, Nothing is true and everything is permitted, right?

"Dreams or visions during the night?"

"No dreams that I can remember."

"And visions?"

"A ship on a stormy sea, a long way from port. I felt sick, and the wind trying to blow me overboard. But I... I don't really know why I was there, and I can't remember getting on or off the boat."

"And you've never been on a sailing trip?"

"I don't think so, and this wasn't a ordinary sailing boat. It was a ship." Anna answer with a trace of annoyance starting to grow in her voice an thoughts. The psychologist is probably just trying to get to know more so he can try to help her, but somehow he annoy her immensely by doing this. It makes her feel like a victim. Someone to feel sorry for. And she is not a victim. She can handle herself, and doesn't want to put her life in someone else's hands. Nobody is to take care of her, but herself.

"I'll ask your family if you've ever been on a larger boat or ship then." he concludes as he make a note. "Maybe your sister will know."

"Maybe." Anna says with a blanc voice, turning her head in the other direction to pint out that she isn't very conversational today. He seems to get the point.

Half an hour later, after most of the time spent in an uncomfortable silence, Emma arrive and is shown into the room by Melanie Lemaine. She is for once well avare of her sister's full name, and is certain about some of the details that come to her mind when she see her and tries to remember their common past.

"Hi, you must be Emma. I'm André, the psychologist assigned to Anna from Abstergo."

"Hi." Emma say in a mechanical way. She seem... distracted. Or maybe worried. Almost afraid. As she hug her, she can feel her sister shaking slightly, and even sweating. Something is wrong.

"What's wrong?" she asks as Emma sit down in the couch beside her.

"You mean apart from knowing that you might only pretend to be normal, and for real maybe not even remember my name? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

"Oh, didn't I tell you? My real name is Sherlock Holmes, and you, Watson, should not worry too much about my sanity."

There's four seconds of shocked silence in the room, as Emma tries to process what Anna just said. As she open her mouth to say something, but then closing it again, Anna can't keep up the poker-face. Her face light up in a wide taunting grin, and she cant supress her laughter.

"Not funny!" Emma says in protest, but she's not very convincing as she too laughs after realizing Anna was just joking. "You're not funny. Seriously!"

"Well, why are you laughing then?"

"I'm not even going to answer that." Emma say with a angry, but still amused tone in her voice.

"Just don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Anna says reassuringly.

"Well, you're in a positive mood today." Emma says.

"Guess I'm still amused by your reaction then."

Emma groan softly, but smile back. The anxiety in her face has lifted somewhat, and it makes it easier for Anna to pretend that her sister's anxiety is without any reason. They talk for half an hour about what they've been through, with Emma adding some details to the stories. Anna snatch them up easily.

However, it is not always her own memories of the events that make her snap the unreal details out. Somehow, she can almost sense it when Emma add something, or exclude something. Some of the events also bring Sienna's memories to the surface, as they have some similar aspect or something. When Emma ask her to fill in the details in one of the events, she has some trouble to tell the difference between her own memories and Sienna's. Emma notice when she gets the details wrong, and the worried frown is there once more as a haunting shadow.

When Emma needs to return home again, her frown is undistinguishable. The errors weren't too grave, and since André (finally she got to know his name) left after the somewhat morbid joke, she's been able to talk more freely than before about things. Oh, she know she's being watched by abstergo, but at least she hasn't one hanging above her, breathing in her neck. She wants to get home too, so she have to keep an image of not suffering from the bleeding effect up. But, she wants to use he animus to explore Sienna's memories first, so she have to give them a reason to keep her for just a while longer.

Up until the point of Sienna's first formal acceptance in he assassin order, she have the memories. But after that... still not accesible. They have made her very since Sienna was able to use the same strange vision that has been haunting Anna for the last couple of days. The eagle vision. She wants to be able to control it fully, just as Sienna is also trying to learn. Somehow, knowing more about Sienna seems to allow her to learn more about herself.


End file.
